-- THE ARCHIVE --

SINGAPORE
Judicial CP - July 2015

The Straits Times, Singapore, 24 July 2015, p.A8

Ex-YOG cyclist gets jail, cane for drug offences

Former Youth Olympic Games (YOG) cyclist Alvin Phoon Hui Zhi
was yesterday found guilty of drug trafficking and consumption,
and sentenced to five years' jail and five strokes of the cane.

The 22-year-old, a full-time national serviceman in the police
force at the time of the offences, was arrested at the Tanglin
Police Division Headquarters in June last year.

According to the statement of facts presented to the court,
Phoon had acted as a middleman, procuring cannabis from a
trafficker called "Roy" and then selling it for a
profit to his friends.

He had been doing so for six months before his arrest, said
Deputy Public Prosecutor Claire Poh in the statement.

Phoon's crimes came to light when police nabbed his friend
Andre Wong Chu Xiang, 21, in June last year. They found in Wong's
home a packet of cannabis -- containing no less than 5.23g of the
drug -- hidden in a box behind the sofa.

When questioned, Wong identified Phoon as the source of the
drugs. Phoon was arrested the same day.

During investigations, officers found that the former national
youth cyclist had sold Wong "weed" on three occasions,
charging him $250 each time and making a profit of $50 on each transaction.

On one occasion on June 29, Wong had contacted Phoon for a fix.

Money was not discussed then because "both of them
understood" how much the drugs would cost, Phoon admitted to investigators.

Court documents also showed that Phoon's urine contained
traces of methylone, a Class A controlled drug.

Click to enlarge

The court yesterday found Phoon guilty of one count each of
drug trafficking and consumption, with an additional charge of
trafficking taken into consideration.

He could have been sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in
prison and given 15 strokes of the cane.

But even as Phoon joins the ranks of young people felled by
the drug scourge, cyclists remember him as a "hard-working
rider who loved the sport".

In the 2010 Singapore YOG, Phoon raced in national colours in
a road race and BMX events.

His former training partner, Mr Sallehin Muhammad Salleh, said
that Phoon had the makings of a champion BMX rider.

"He had the fire, he could have been the best in his
class," said the 27-year-old civil servant.

But he added that Phoon lost interest in the sport about two
years ago. "If he had an avenue like biking to let out
stress, maybe he would not have gone down this path."